I lift her just enough to slide inside.
"Say it now," I growl, fighting not to lose my mind at the feel of her wrapped around me, squeezing my cock just right. "Tell me you love me now, Emelia."
"I love you," she gasps, her hips already rolling into mine.
There are no better words in the world. There aren't.
I lift her up and down my cock with my hands on her hips, bucking into her hard and fast. I'm desperate, my mouth all over her as she moans and rocks with me, taking me all the way to the hilt before sliding off to start all over again.
Within seconds, she's quivering on the edge, pleading for me to let her go over.
I press my thumb to her clit, my mouth to her ear. "I love you," I breathe. "Now come all over me."
She shatters with a sharp cry, her cunt locking down on me just right. I growl, slamming her down again and again until the cord snaps. I come hard, my teeth in her shoulder as I spill into her.
She takes it all, her arms around me like she isn't ever letting go.
When it's over, I just hold her against my chest, breathing her in, happy in a way I've never been. She's mine. Her heart is mine.
"Say it again," I whisper.
She tips her head back, meeting my gaze in the inky darkness. "I love you, Royce."
"Fuck." I press my forehead to hers, shuddering. "We need to book a flight."
"Book a flight?"
"Yeah, pretty baby. We need to go see your dad."
Chapter Eleven
Emelia
The photo of us kissing at dinner leaks. So does one of him carrying me through the restaurant. And another of us, stumbling out of his truck, looking like we were up to no good.
I don't mind. Maybe I should, but I don't.
The headlines aren't salacious. They don't paint me as a fling or Royce as a player. I'm not his publicist in them. He isn't my client. We're just two people in love.
I can live with that.
I'm not so sure about my dad, however.
By the time we land in Nashville three days later, he's seen the photos, and he is not thrilled. I think it was one thing for him to know about Royce. It's something else for him to have seen the evidence plastered all over the paper.
He's currently dealing with one of his worst nightmares: His daughters growing up and falling in love.
He and my mom are waiting for us on the tarmac at the airport.
"Mom!" I cry, rushing straight into her arms.
"Hey, baby girl." She flings them around me, wrapping me up in a tight hug. "You look so happy," she whispers in my ear.
"I am," I whisper back, peering over her shoulder at my dad, who is looking everywhere except at Royce. "Is he mad?"
"No, honey. He's just worried about you. He knows how much sacrifice comes with loving men like him and Royce."
"Love isn't a sacrifice."
